


Say It With Flowers

by keepyourpantsongohan



Series: Kakayama Week 2018 [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Captain/Subordinate Relationship, Friendship, Humour, Implied Feelings, KakaYama Week 2018, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 20:32:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14626506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepyourpantsongohan/pseuds/keepyourpantsongohan
Summary: “I’ve already spoken to the Sandaime,” Tenzō begins carefully. “He has a theory that the kekkei genkai is responding to my subconscious emotions. He believes that the jutsu may arise out of fear.”Kakashi raises an eyebrow. “What does he think you’re afraid of?”“My squad leader,” says Tenzō, trying to keep his face as blank as possible.(Kakayama Week 2018 Day 6: Mokuton Meltdown)





	Say It With Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> It's not a detail which comes up in the story, but the time setting is late ANBU, about a year before Kakashi leaves, in case the use of 'boy' throws you off. I chose that word because they're being silly.

“Hokage-sama,” says Tenzō, kneeling before his leader. 

“Please stand,” says Hiruzen kindly. He looks at the ANBU with concern in his eyes. “What brings you to my office?”

He is right to worry. Tenzō isn’t scheduled to be here. He has no mission assigned to him. He’s not even wearing his ANBU mask. The council insists upon him checking in with them every few months, most likely because of Danzō’s grudge, but today he has not been called. He’s come here of his own will, to say what needs to be said. And though he by no means wants to have this conversation, he is a shinobi. It is his duty and his burden.

“I have lost control of the mokuton,” Tenzō tells the Sandaime remorsefully. “I apologize for my inadequacies with the Shodai Hokage’s legacy.”

Hiruzen stiffens, and his expression shifts to a frown. “You’ve lost the ability?” he asks.

“No, not exactly,” Tenzō offers hastily. He’s probably probably explaining this all wrong, but he needs to impart the severity of the situation. He sighs. “But I’m afraid I can’t use it in battle anymore.”

“Please, elaborate.” The look in the man’s eyes is nothing short of analytical. This, Tenzō supposes, is the face of the Professor. There is a reason he came to Hiruzen-sama with this, rather than a medic. He has decades of knowledge behind him, and he will help Tenzō regain the ability to do his duty for the village. 

“It has a mind of its own, lately,” Tenzō explains. “It often sets off without me forming any signs, or even willing it. It’s even been a nuisance to my comrades. It’s possible that because of the experiments done on me, the mokuton will eventually become too much for me to control. I don’t wish to be a liability to my team.”

“There are many things unknown about kekkei genkai,” says Hiruzen solemnly. He eyes Tenzō thoughtfully, putting a hand to his chin. “Some techniques can be summoned involuntarily when the user experiences a strong emotion. Have your training or comrades upset you in some way?”

Tenzō shakes his head quickly. There are few things that give him greater joy than training with his ANBU team. Though by nature ANBU are more reserved than the average shinobi, there’s a certain camaraderie with them he’s come to enjoy. “I like my comrades very much, Hokage-sama. And training is as routine as ever.”

“There are no obvious triggers to these incidents?” Hiruzen asks, appearing troubled. Tenzō shakes his head, and the Hokage presses him. “Can you describe the events that led up to your last loss of control?”

“I was sparring with Kakashi-senpai. He’d beaten me, and had me pinned. I yielded, but when Kakashi-senpai attempted to release me, my mokuton constrained his wrists. It had… an unusual appearance. Normally, the branches are quite plain, uniformly-structured. These were wilder, and they blossomed.”

The last word catches Hiruzen’s attention. “Blossomed?” he repeats.

“There were flowers,” says Tenzō. He remembers quite clearly the look of shock on Kakashi’s face as purple bellflowers encircled his wrists. He’d dropped the kunai in surprise.

“Then your mokuton caused no harm to Kakashi,” Hiruzen says, relaxing.

Tenzō nods. “But it didn’t come from any command of mine. And if such a thing were to happen in battle… an enemy could easily take advantage.” He can only imagine what might happen if he meant to splinter someone’s throat and instead tickled their neck with a handful of tulips.

“That is troublesome,” agrees Hiruzen, but he seems far more at ease. He folds his hands on his desk. “Tell me more about the occasions when your mokuton has acted on its own. Perhaps we can find a common thread.”

“There was another incident last week when returning from our mission near Takigakure,” Tenzō says, tensing a little. He expects the Sandaime to tell him off for omitting this detail, but the old man waits patiently. Still, he hastens to add, “The mission objective had already been met and likelihood of combat on our journey home was low. We were resting for the night, which is why I didn’t think it pertinent to the report. But I’d been having a dream, and when I woke up, the area we were resting in was covered in vines. Sprouting violets, that time.”

“Were you dreaming of anything in particular?”

“Nothing of significance, Hokage-sama. I dreamt of… having lunch with my ANBU squad,” he says sheepishly.

Hiruzen raises his eyebrows. “Did anything occur before you went to sleep?”

Tenzō runs through what he can remember of the mission. Kō had been on watch, and Kakashi… he administered first-aid to Kakashi, before they went to sleep, for a wound that their target had inflicted on his face. “I bandaged my comrade’s injury,” he tells the Sandaime.

“Which member of your squad was injured?” asks Hiruzen.

“Our buntaichō,” says Tenzō, wondering why that would possibly be relevant to the issue of his mokuton.

Hiruzen takes on a satisfied expression. “Kakashi?” he asks. Tenzō nods his affirmation, and the Hokage continues. “It seems we have our common thread.”

Years of Root training have made Tenzō no shabby analyst, so he immediately begins trying to compare the Sandaime’s statement with the evidence at hand. He has been focusing on the circumstances, rather than the people present, since they invariably tend to be his ANBU squad. Two isn’t necessarily enough to form a pattern. At least five times in the past few months, he’s seen his mokuton summoned involuntary.

One. Two months ago. Sitting down at a river at the edge of Konoha, exhausted from two back-to-back missions. It would’ve been more prudent for them to return to the Hokage tower right away, but they were ahead of schedule, and the inclination to take a moment to regain their strength proved too strong. He and Towa, an ANBU borrowed from a different squad, had been on the riverbank, dipping their feet in the water. Kakashi had rolled up his pants and stood with water up to his knees, laughing at Tenzō’s concern that they would be reprimanded for this detour. Without meaning to, Tenzō’s arm had phased into his nature transformation. But instead of unblemished wood, his arm had covered itself in flowers. Kakashi had laughed harder, then. Gardenias.

Two. One month ago. In the ANBU locker rooms, making an abysmal effort to cut his own hair once again. Most of Team Ro had passed through, teasing him for his grooming attempt. Kakashi had been among them, and had patted him on the head as he passed by. The bench he’d been sitting on had warped around him. Cosmos.

Three. Two weeks ago. In the ANBU barracks, writing a mission report. Pestering Yūgao to recall whether she’d subdued four or five of the enemy at the border. Kakashi hadn’t been there, had he? Except… Yūgao had muttered under her breath that she was late to meet Hayate. When he said he didn’t care, she’d asked him why he was filling out the report instead of Kakashi. A branch had sprouted up from the table to flick her, then. Camelias.

Four. Last week. After applying a bandage to Kakashi’s jaw. Sleeping beside him. If he thinks a bit harder, he supposes that the primary speaker in his dream had been Kakashi as well. Violets.

Five. Yesterday. Sparring with Kakashi. Bellflowers.

His heart hammers. Kakashi is one of the few people he trusts unconditionally. If his mokuton is malfunctioning because of Kakashi’s presence somehow, it’s likely that he’ll be reassigned. It’s an unpleasant prospect, to say the least.

Hiruzen watches the panic unfold in him, and asks gently, “Is it possible that you’re frightened of Kakashi? Subconsciously summoning jutsu to fend him off, benign enough to acknowledge he isn’t a threat?”

“I do not fear Kakashi-senpai,” says Tenzō firmly, regaining enough presence of mind to make this declaration. “I trust my captain.”

“But your jutsu is responding to his presence, is it not?” ask Hiruzen. The sympathy has not left his voice. “Kakashi is known for his fierceness, even among ANBU. It is not unreasonable to be intimidated.”

Tenzō shakes his head, eager to convince the Sandaime that whatever this is, it’s not Kakashi’s fault. “Kakashi is a very talented shinobi,” he agrees, “But in that regard I feel more admiration than fear.”

Hiruzen lets out a heavy sigh. “Even so. In light of these developments, perhaps it is best that I—”

“Please, Hokage-sama,” interjects Tenzō. It is unlike him to interrupt his superiors, and that seems to give the Sandaime pause. He continues. “Allow me to figure out what is causing these developments. If it truly is because of Kakashi, then I can handle it. I will regain control of the mokuton, and you will not have to change the formation of one of ANBU’s most effective squads.”

The old man wavers. “And if you cannot?”

“Then I will come to you myself for reassignment, just as I came to you now.”

The words bring a small smile back to Hiruzen’s face. He’s told Tenzō before that he considers the shinobi of Konoha like his own children, and there feels something paternal about his gaze then. “Alright. I trust your judgment.”

* * *

The weight of the Sandaime’s trust is not light. Tenzō begins working on his issue immediately, which begins with visiting Kakashi at his home. Luckily, the other shinobi is there, though there’s a clear look of surprise when he opens the door. “Tenzō. What brings you here?”

“You,” says Tenzō shortly. “May I enter?”

With a bemused face, Kakashi steps aside to allow Tenzō inside his apartment. By the smell of spice in the air, it appears Kakashi has just made lunch. “Care to explain what you mean by ‘me?’ Did I ask you over and forget about it?”

Tenzō shakes his head. “Sorry. It’s rude of me, showing up unannounced like this. But what I mean is that I came here for your help.”

“What can I do?” says Kakashi without hesitation.

A pleasant sort of burning fills Tenzō’s chest. This is another source of admiration for his captain. An empathy which far exceeds anyone else he knows. Trying to keep down a smile so as not to downplay the issue, he says, “It’s about my mokuton.”

“The involuntary jutsu?” prompts Kakashi.

Of course Kakashi would notice. Even when he only has one eye on display, his gaze discerns more than anyone else Tenzō knows. “You’re quick,” he says, unable to stop his smile this time.

Kakashi shrugs. “You looked as surprised as I did at the end of our spar. And I found a vine in my shirt when when I went to take watch after our last mission together.”

Tenzō feels his face redden. “Sorry,” he says again.

A hand is laid on his shoulder. “It’s alright. I’ll help you figure out what’s going on.”

The tension in him eases marginally. Kakashi has the sort of determination that borders on impractical, but it’s more than welcome in this instance. “I’ve already spoken to the Sandaime,” Tenzō begins carefully. “He has a theory that the kekkei genkai is responding to my subconscious emotions. He believes that the jutsu may arise out of fear.”

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. “What does he think you’re afraid of?”

“My squad leader,” says Tenzō, trying to keep his face as blank as possible.

“Me,” says Kakashi. Tenzō is sure he is sporting a frown.

Reluctantly, Tenzō nods. Before he can elaborate much, Kakashi asks him, “ _Are_  you afraid of me?”

“No,” he says, perhaps a little too loudly. His emphatic response is a surprise to both of them. But he continues, as firmly as possible. “You are a person I trust very much, Kakashi-senpai. If my problems with the mokuton are connected to your presence somehow, it must be for some other reason. That’s why I need you. To help me understand what that reason is, and control it.”

Eyeing the other cautiously, Kakashi seems to weigh his words. “And if the Sandaime is right?”

“I trust you,” says Tenzō again, in lieu of a real answer. “We’ll deal with whatever the outcome is.”

* * *

Kakashi asks him many of the same questions as the Hokage, and in the end, he settles on recreating the circumstances of the last mokuton malfunction. After lunch, they head to the training grounds to begin their spar. Yesterday, they had only fought with taijutsu, so they stick to hand-to-hand for their experiment as well.

Kakashi uses the same opening move as the day before, a series of fast-paced blows to Tenzō’s chest. Tenzō blocks them easily, and counters with a kick to Kakashi’s side.

His leg is caught in Kakashi’s grasp and Tenzō finds himself twisting in order to plant his other foot to allow enough leverage to escape.

Tenzō isn’t even on his feet again before Kakashi is making his next move, aiming at Tenzō’s sternum with his knee. Tenzō presses his hands to the ground and flips his body over before the hit can land.

Tenzō knows they aren’t evenly matched in skill, but he can usually play his stamina to his advantage. Which is why Kakashi always attempts to finish their spars quickly. Each of Kakashi’s moves is an attempt to incapacitate. In spite of himself, Tenzō enjoys the spar. Fighting Kakashi has always been an invigorating experience.

Although not every move they employ is the same, like their previous bout, their battle ends with Kakashi the victor. Kakashi sits on Tenzō’s back with both of his arms in his grasp. “So? Do you feel your kekkei genkai reacting? Any fear?” asks Kakashi.

“Annoyance,” grunts Tenzō, lifting his face from the ground. “You’re heavy, senpai.”

Kakashi nudges him in the ribs with the back of his sandal. “You’ve dealt with enemies twice my size, Tenzō.”

“You have a weighty presence,” deadpans Tenzō. Kakashi chuckles and lets him go.

Sitting up, Tenzō stretches his limbs. “Any more ideas?”

Kakashi folds his hands behind his head. “We take a nap.”

“A nap?” repeats Tenzō skeptically.

The captain nods. “Maybe it’s not happening because you’re thinking about it too much. It happened in your sleep, too, right? So we nap.”

Though Tenzō isn’t sure he sees the point of the exercise, he agrees. He uses his jutsu to smooth the bark of a nearby tree, and they settle in its shade and shut their eyes. Keeping an empty mind had been the main mantra of Tenzō’s childhood, so falling asleep outside is not a difficult task. Within minutes, he finds himself slipping out of consciousness.

He wakes up with his face pressed against Kakashi’s shoulder. He realizes that the spot is a bit wet, and pulls away, clearing his throat.

“Were you drooling?” Kakashi asks, amused.

“No,” says Tenzō, even though he was. “Any developments?”

They examine their surroundings. There are no changes to the landscape. They both sigh. “You said you were dreaming about something, on our mission,” says Kakashi. “What did you dream about now?”

“I didn’t,” says Tenzō with a frown. “I slept without dreaming.”

Kakashi folds his arms, looking pensive. “Perhaps we’re going about this wrong. We’re relying too heavily on the circumstances to invoke the same emotional response. We should be focusing more on the common feeling between events.”

“Which is?” asks Tenzō, raising an eyebrow. 

The other youth shrugs. “You tell me.”

Tenzō thinks about it. Losing a spar. Being teased in a dream by Kakashi. Being teased in the waking world by Yūgao. “Embarrassment,” he decides. 

“Embarrassment,” says Kakashi, a glint in his eye. He stands suddenly. “Spar with me again.”

“What good will that do?” asks Tenzō, but he’s already on his feet. 

Kakashi shifts into a fighting stance. “I’m going to beat you. Badly.”

Unintentionally, Tenzō feels that same exciting feeling as before. He knows Kakashi is trying to provoke him, but he’s just loose enough from sleep for it to work. He moves into position. “I’m not that easy to beat,” he replies with a faint smile. 

“Want to bet?” taunts Kakashi. “Mission reports for a month that I beat you in less than five minutes. I’ll even let you use the mokuton, and I won’t use any ninjutsu at all.”

“Genjutsu?” Tenzō asks, sensing the loophole.

“None,” confirms Kakashi. He raises his hand in a seal of confrontation. “Ready?”

Tenzō nods. He fingers mirror his opponent. “You’re on, senpai.”

It’s not an easy match for either of them. Tenzō isn’t afraid to use the advantage he’s been given, and the training grounds quickly turn into a mess of brambles as he brings forth his creations to bind Kakashi. It is only Kakashi’s speed which allows him to escape. 

Tenzō presses Kakashi back with a combination of his mokuton and taijutsu, and four minutes into their battle, manages to get Kakashi flat on his back beneath him. However, before Tenzō can completely immobilize his opponent’s legs, Kakashi tangles them and uses the muscles there to knock Tenzō off-balance enough to flip them over and pin him down. 

Kakashi doesn’t make Tenzō’s mistake, and has both of Tenzō’s legs locked down with his wrists in his grasp once again. It’s remarkably similar to yesterday’s position.

“I win,” says Kakashi smugly from above him. 

Tenzō wants to retort, but finds his voice caught in his throat. Kakashi’s hitai-ate is barely hanging on, and though he can only see a single dark eye creased on his face, the joy visible there knocks the wind out of Tenzō. Foolishly, his mind summons the image of what the rest of that face looks like, and he wonders what it would feel like to feel Kakashi’s smile against his own. 

He barely has time to entertain that thought before Kakashi freezes. In a panicked half-second, he worries if Kakashi somehow knows his thoughts, but realizes his reaction is because of the sharp vines at his ankles bearing bright cactus flowers in their midst. 

“What were you thinking about?” asks Kakashi.

“Nothing,” says Tenzō quickly, praying to think of just that. But no matter what kind of ninja he is, he cannot stop the rising flush in his neck.

“Tenzō,” admonishes Kakashi, pressing his weight more firmly against him. “I can’t help you if I don’t have all the information.”

Because he is dutiful to a fault, Tenzō manages to wrench the word, “Kissing,” from his own lips before clamping them shut.

“Kissing? Why were you thinking about kissing during a spar?” Kakashi looks caught between amused and worried. When Tenzō meets his eye, Kakashi connects the dots, and he lets go of Tenzō’s wrists, faltering a little. “ _Oh._  Kissing  _me_.”

“It wasn’t on purpose!” exclaims Tenzō. “It just happened.”

Kakashi’s eye looks wider than he’s seen it. “Were you thinking about kissing during yesterday’s fight?”

Tenzō shakes his head fervently. “No. Really. It didn’t even occur to me until a few moments ago.”

“Then why would it be the trigger for your jutsu now?” asks Kakashi, glancing down at the vines snaking around his ankles.

Thinking back to their earlier conversation, he scrambles for a rational explanation for his behaviour. “The embarrassment,” says Tenzō, his cheeks burning brightly. “I was thinking about something inappropriate during a fight, and it embarrassed me.”

Kakashi seems to realize that he’s still on top of Tenzō, and finally rolls off of him. Their breathing is a little off, and Tenzō isn’t sure how much of it is from the spar. “What was embarrassing you those other times, then?” asks Kakashi, not looking in his direction. 

“Perhaps my admiration of your skill is manifesting itself as attraction,” offers Tenzō, just as hesitant to meet his gaze.

“That sounds like a very clinical way of telling me you have a crush on me.”

Tenzō can’t help it. He turns. “Senpai!”

“Am I wrong?” asks Kakashi. He looks as uncomfortable with this conversation as Tenzō feels. 

“I don’t have a crush on you,” insists Tenzō. “I just think you’re a good ninja.”

“Whom you want to kiss,” Kakashi adds helpfully. The branch that strikes him is intentionally summoned by Tenzō this time, springing back to swat at his face. He doesn’t even bother to avoid it. Instead he stares at it. “Listen, Tenzō... attraction is normal between teammates. We’re not made of stone. But I don’t want you to think... I mean, it’s not that I don’t think you’re... It wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“What wouldn’t?” asks Tenzō, before he can help himself.

“Kissing,” says Kakashi. 

“Kakashi!” 

Kakashi raises his hands defensively. “It’s not like I’m eager to talk about this either, but if it helps clear the air and fix your jutsu, then we should have a frank discussion.”

Tenzō sees the logic behind this statement, but the petulant part of him groans. “It’s probably not even  _about_  you,” he says, certain his face is still red. “Maybe it is something... hormonal. But it’s more likely due to me wanting something physical with the nearest impressive warm body.”

The other boy almost looks insulted. “Thanks.”

Tenzō doesn’t have the patience to placate Kakashi’s ego. He shrugs. “If I’m right, then if I go and kiss someone, then my problem should go away.”

“And who are you planning to involve in this experiment of yours?” asks Kakashi dubiously. At Tenzō’s answering speculative look, Kakashi coughs out, “Didn’t I just say that would be a bad idea?”

“Are you afraid of a little kissing, senpai?” 

Kakashi definitely looks insulted now. He sits up. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. I said I’d help you, and I will.” He jabs Tenzō in the shoulder. Tenzō feels the sting of lightning chakra in his fingers, a technique Kakashi is wont to use when he’s particularly annoyed with his teammates. “Get up and get over here.”

Tenzō faces Kakashi. In spite of his challenging words, he does find himself a little bit on edge. Kakashi is looking at him as if he’s some kind of target. “Ready?” asks Tenzō, like they’re about to fight.

Though he’s seen Kakashi’s face already, his captain mutters, “Close your eyes.” Tenzō obeys, and in seconds, Kakashi’s lips are upon his. It feels like their mouths are buzzing, and Tenzō doesn’t know if it’s because of chakra or jumpiness, but it’s not an unpleasant feeling. His lips part under Kakashi’s, and he feels a tongue slide into his mouth. 

The surprise of that is enough to make both of them pull back. Tenzō opens his eyes in time to see Kakashi’s mask being adjusted back in place. “No mokuton,” notes Kakashi, as his companion stares. 

“Maybe I’m cured,” says Tenzō gruffly. 

Kakashi shrugs. He looks contemplative. “Maybe. Did you feel anything, while we were doing it?”

Tenzō blinks, trying to sort out whether he felt the telltale tug of his mokuton while Kakashi was touching him. “Nothing,” he decides, but somehow it feels like a lie. 

Still, he is more than grateful to have an answer for the Sandaime, when he will next make a report about his jutsu. He really doesn't feel embarrassed now. Light-headed, if anything, but he can blame the sparring for that. He thinks that if his problems with his jutsu come down to being a slave to his biological urges, then as long as he occasionally finds an outlet for them, there should be no further problems. He supposes it might be another case in which it is more practical to spare his leader the finer details of his process. But all-in-all, he would consider the experiment a success. 

“Good,” says Kakashi. His preoccupied look disappears, and shifts into something a little more wicked as he stands up again. “I’m glad to have cured you of your crush, Tenzō.”  

On his feet, Tenzō protests again, “I don't have a crush on you!” 

Kakashi slaps Tenzō on the back. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Tenzō yelps. “You don’t have to be so rough, senpai.”

“I’ve struck you much harder than that in training,” says Kakashi, laughing.

“Well, if you infuse your fingertips with that much lightning chakra,” grumbles Tenzō, rubbing at the spot.

He expects Kakashi to offer a halfhearted apology or excuse. So, at Kakashi’s responding silence, he turns his gaze over to his captain. Kakashi stares intently at his own hand, a look of abject horror on his face. Perhaps he hadn’t meant to put quite so much chakra in the blow.

“Senpai?”


End file.
